Build a working wind turbine to
harness power out of thin air. Wind is one of the most promising sources
of clean, renewable energy available today. Wind energy has been used
for centuries to pump water and crush grain in windmills, and is now
increasingly being used to generate electricity to power our modern
world.
First, assemble a wind turbine complete with electric generator,
adjustable rotors, and wind speed indicator. Then, conduct more than 20
experiments with your wind turbine, including experiments with different
numbers of rotor blades, different blade angles and profiles, different
wind speeds, different gear ratios, and so on. Use the wind turbine to
generate mechanical power to lift a heavy weight or generate electricity
to light up an LED and charge a rechargeable battery.
During the experiments, you will learn the physics of force and
motion as it applies to wind power technology. Learn how to measure and
calculate the different forces acting on the rotor blades by breaking
them down into vectors.
Discover how the sun makes the wind, providing us with an endless source
of energy. Read about different types of wind turbines and windmills.
The full-color, 32-page experiment manual offers illustrated
instructions and scientific information. Ages 8 and up.
• build a working wind turbine
• harness mechanical energy to lift weights
• generate electricity to light an LED and charge a battery
• learn the physics of wind turbines
• discover how wind occurs and why it is such a promising energy source
